The Chaplain’s Corner

Father Gerard Gentleman National Chaplain

“Influencer,” is not a new word. Throughout history, the word broadly referred to someone who affects or changes the way that other people behave. More recently it has come to refer specifically to a well-known person with significant followers on social media and other internet platforms. It is within this narrow definition that many young people seek acknowledgement and success. This is unfortunate because success through internet fame is rare. It is often unfulfilling, even for those who achieve such popularity. Lastly, it lacks permanence, such influential power is fleeting.

The desire to be someone who affects change is noble and worthy, and it is important for young people to feel that they do in fact have the power to be positive influencers. Scouting is a community and movement rooted in positive influence. Adults in Scouting significantly impact the lives of its young participants, yet the most influential members of our units are the Scouts themselves.

Recently, during his military retirement ceremony, a brother Eagle Scout from my home troop spoke about his scouting experience, specifically its impact on leadership development. He said that Scouting required him to learn how to lead his peers. He said that youth leadership in scouting taught him to lead by example, to not be afraid to get his hands dirty and help others whenever he could. It was truly moving to hear him speak of our Scoutmaster and our Scouting experience as foundational to his 27-year military career.

As Catholic scouters, the opportunity to be influencers in faith is a continuation of the mission of our Blessed Mother and the Saints When he spoke at the 2019 World Youth Day in Panama, Pope Francis reflected that many young people are not interested in whether God exists or find it difficult to believe in him, and that they seem so bored and aimless in life. He believed that this is the case because many young people feel that they have stopped existing for others, for the family, for society, for the community and as a result feel invisible. He therefore encouraged them to be an “influencer” like the Blessed Mother and the communion of Saints. Through real faces, the Lord makes himself present. To say “ yes”, like Mary, to this love story is to say “ yes” to becoming a means of building in our neighborhoods those ecclesial communities capable of walking the streets of our cities, embracing, and weaving new relationships. To be an “influencer” in the twenty-first century is to be guardians of roots, guardians of all that prevents our life from dissipating and evaporating into nothingness.

As Catholics and Scouts, we have been given the unique opportunity to affect change and form young people into peer influencers, peer evangelizers, and peers in proclaiming the Good News by word and action. I encourage you to make use of our religious emblems and activities with your Scouts, in them we are given the tools and the examples we need to teach and influence. Use campouts as mini retreats, allowing time for prayer and faith sharing. Help Scouts to practice their duty to God and plan to meet as a unit at Sunday Mass, becoming a visible sign to your parish that Scouts take the 12th point of the Scout Law seriously. Through Faith, Family and Adventure, may we as Catholic Scouts be impactful influencers who transform the world and help to grow God’s kingdom on earth.

Whether you find yourself at summer camp, a high adventure base or the Jamboree, I wish you God’s blessings during these summer months.

Premier Catholic streaming service available through NCCS

By John Doerr

The National Catholic Committee on Scouting is pleased to offer the Augustine Institute’s FORMED, the premier Catholic streaming service, to all Catholic Scouts and units nationwide.

This service brings beautiful and faithful Catholic content to parishes, families, organizations, and individuals. here is something for everyone: award-winning studies and parish programs, inspiring audio content, movies, e-books and familyfriendly kid’s programming. It is led by the Augustine Institute and Ignatius Press in collaboration with over 100 content providers.

“Catholic Scouting is helping our members in their journey to understand and embrace our faith. This will help our members in that journey” said John Anthony, NCCS National Chair. NCCS’ Religious Activities and Emblems committees are working with the Augustine Institute to align content with each religious activity and program. Through NCCS’ sponsorship, Catholic Scouts, Scouters and units can access FORMED free at https:// formed.org/signup. After entering NCCS’ zip code “87742” follow the prompts to complete your subscription through NCCS. You can access FORMED on your web browser, tablet, or Apple/Android phones.

In homily to NCCS Member Assembly

Archbishop Naumann challenges Scouters to help Scouts love the Eucharist and to make them familiar with the word of God to help them encounter Jesus through prayer

Archbishop John Naumann shepherds the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, and delivered the following homily (edited for length) at the Vigil Mass of the Third Sunday of Easter to NCCS members attending the 2023 NCCS Member Assembly. The Mass was concelebrated by Bishop James V. Johnston of the Diocese of Kansas City – St. Joseph, Bishop R. Daniel Conlon, USCCB Episcopal Liaison to the NCCS, and Bishop Robert E. Guglielmone, USCCB Episcopal LiaisonEmeritus to the NCCS.

I Gratitude

It is a privilege to be with you and to celebrate the Eucharist with you. On behalf of the Bishops of the United States, thank you for giving your time and energy to help young people to develop the abilities and talents that God has entrusted to them, to develop virtue and to grow in their Faith and relationship with God.

As Christians, we believe that God is constantly attempting to reveal Himself to us. One of the powerful ways that we encounter God is through creation and the beauty of the natural world. One of the great benefits of the Scouting Program is providing young people an opportunity to meet God in the beauty of creation. The splendor of the natural world is one of the ways that God reveals His majesty and awe. We experience in the beauty of nature the amazing creativity of God.

One of the ways the late St. John Paul II used to catechize and form young adults in his ministry as a college professor and chaplain was to provide them with camping experiences. He understood that the best theology classroom was in the midst of the natural world.

Thank you for your love for young people and for investing your time, energy and resources to help them know their identity as beloved sons and daughters of God and become strong disciples of Jesus. In a time when many of our young people are pulling away from living their Faith, thank you for striving to provide opportunities for them to grow in their friendship with Jesus and in their love for His Bride, the Church.

Ii

Emmaus Story and Friendship

I love the biblical readings that the Church presents to us during the Easter Season. Today is no exception as the Church presents St. Luke’s account of the disciples’ experience on Easter evening as they left Jerusalem, journeying towards Emmaus.

In this narrative, St. Luke provides us with some of the essential elements to keep our Catholic Faith strong and vibrant. First, we are not meant to journey alone, but instead to journey together as a community of disciples, as a Church, and as companions on a journey.

We see two disciples absorbed in a conversation about Jesus and what happened to Our Lord on Good Friday. Luke describes the disciples as conversing and debating when the Risen Jesus begins to walk with them, though they do not recognize Our Lord. Jesus asks them what they are discussing. One of the disciples, Cleopas, asks Jesus if He is the only one who does not know what just happened in Jerusalem.

The first element about discipleship that the Emmaus story reveals is that we cannot do it alone. Being a disciple of Jesus means being in community. We are called to be companions helping each other follow the Lord. This is an important element of Scouting. It provides young people an environment that allows them to forge good and virtuous friendships, helping each other grow in virtue and faith.

Scouting provides an opportunity to form healthy and virtuous friendships. It is an opportunity that provides young people with a forum to have good conversations about the most important things in life. Catholic Scouting gives young people an opportunity to encounter Jesus through prayer.

Iii

Emmaus and Opening the Bible

The Emmaus story then has Jesus open the Bible and all its prophecies about the Messiah that were indeed fulfilled by His conception, birth, life, ministry, passion, death and resurrection.

Catholic Scouting should place an emphasis on making our Catholic youth very familiar with the Word of God. They are fortunate to live in this time when the Bible is so accessible to everyone. For most of Christian history, the Bible was not available to most people because they were not literate.

The Bible is this amazing book where God used human authors to reveal Himself to us. Catholic young people should read the Bible every day. They should especially spend time reading the Gospels. The Bible is not to be speed read, but slowly and prayerfully read.

We should teach our young people to read the Bible with an expectation that the Lord wants to speak to them through His Word. This is how they come to be able to recognize the voice of Jesus, the Good Shepherd. (CONTINUED - PAGE 5)